First of all, the Ovambo Sparrowhawk has a yellow cere and legs and a pretty unique feature of Ovamb that most field guides don't really point out is that its cere is quite fleshy. This bird has red legs and a neat red cere.

It has slight brown colouration on the back of the head and a yellow eye which wuld suggest that this bird is not quite adult yet but the neat grey verall colouration shows that it's not juvenile either.

"Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel." -Homer Simpson

I have been looking at the pictures in the Sappi raptor guide and I would still have trouble, especially with the pale area above the eye. I need a book with at least 20 pictures and drawings of each bird. Nothing like experience!

I have been looking at the pictures in the Sappi raptor guide and I would still have trouble, especially with the pale area above the eye. I need a book with at least 20 pictures and drawings of each bird. Nothing like experience!

Richard

Well, that's just it. Unfortunately many raptors come in so many plumages and colours that one field guide can not really do them justice. That is why it is a good idea to get a field guide dedicated just to raptors where a greater variety of the various plumages, ages and sexes are illustrated. The same goes for waders.

At least it helps to get into a mindset of not expecting the bird in the field to match the picture in your book exactly, especially raptors and waders.

"Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel." -Homer Simpson

The Melierax gabar attacks its prey aerially and feeds on wing or takes the prey to a secluded venue where it is killed, torn into small pieces and eaten

This bird hunts for small reptiles such as lizards, geckos and bush snakes. The Gabar Goshawk strikes poisonous snakes on the head with one fatal blow which kills the snake instantly. There have been cases were this bird has been killed by a snake while hunting. Some birds have been blinded by Cobra venom.

The Melierax gabar attacks smaller birds in flight and uses its sharp claws to break the bird's neck. Some of the birds are attacked in their nests while others are killed on the ground. The Gabar Goshawk eats the eggs of its victim.

The diet includes small mammals such as rabbits, field mice and other rodents. Rodents are usually taken from the ground and killed using the sharp claws. The Gabar Goshawk uses its hard bill to tear up the flesh.

This bird eats insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten .

Breeding, nesting, habitat(Ibid.)

The Gabar Goshawk is a monogamous bird which means that the bird finds and breeds with one partner for the rest of its life. The bird lays between 2 to 4 eggs and they are coloured blue.

The nest is built high up in the tree canopy and is protected from predators by branches and the dense green foligae.

The Gabar Goshawk is mainly found in light and densely wooded forests, where there are Mopane trees.

The bird is found in the arid and semi-arid regions of Southern Africa and it can withstand high day and night temperatures

The bird is an urban dweller as well, being at home in parks, gardens and in old vacated buildings

The Gabar Goshawk is mainly seen singly or in pairs in the wild.

It is also seen in flocks

The bird pictured top of thread was pictured late September 2007, in KNP, on the S82 Mativahlungu Loop, between Croc Bridge and Lower Sabie. The woodland thicket and surrounding scrub / savanna are consistent with various sources.